Daughters of Providence (Les Filles de la Providence, FDLP)

On May 15, 1897, six members of the religious congregation of the Daughters of Providence arrived in Prince Albert from Brittany, France, at the invitation of Bishop Pascal, in order to teach the children of the Catholic families in the area. The first teachers attended Normal School in Regina in 1903. In the early years they helped to establish St. Patrick's Orphanage in Prince Albert, a special school and home for needy children. To meet the needs of rural families, the Sisters established boarding schools for girls in Prud'homme, St. Louis, St. Brieux and Prince Albert. Many of the young women who were educated in these schools joined the ranks of teachers and nurses in Saskatchewan. Signatures of the Daughters of Providence can be found in the school registers of St. Louis, Prince Albert, Domremy, Prud'homme, Viscount, Vonda, St. Brieux, St. Front, Perigord, Muenster, Leoville, Victoire, Saskatoon, Cabri, Ile-à-la-Crosse, Little Red River Reserve, Whitefish Reserve School, Patuanak, and Pine Lake. Today the remaining Sisters are retired from teaching.

Mary Ryan